Another Detroit Athlete Goes To Court

Detroit - Jhonny Peralta, Short Stop for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball (MLB) team, will be taking the next two games off against the Oakland A’s to deal with personal matters. When first reported, the personal matters were not revealed, but it has been since discovered that Jhonny Peralta will be returning to Detroit without his team to attend a court date.

Jhonny Peralta is not attending court due to a heinous criminal charge, as most would think of a professional athlete these days, but instead to correct a wrong that has occurred years ago. He has constantly had to deal with a ridiculous spelling of his name. What started out as a typo on his Santiago, Dominican Republic birth certificate on 5/28/1982, has become a life-long explanation.

“I hate it. It is always among the first things that people ask. ‘What’s with the spelling of your name?’ And then I always have to take time out to let people know that it was a typo and I plan to have it fixed.” Jhonny Peralta has put off the minor legal hassle of changing his name for decades now. He finally filed the paperwork and will have his day in court tomorrow morning at 9am.

“Finally I can have the ‘H’ and the “O” swapped so that I can continue living my life.” Jhonny Peralta has 14 home runs and 50 RBI’s on the season, but feels that his team doesn’t really need him against the Oakland A’s. “It’s the (expletive) A’s, man. A t-ball team could beat ‘em. They’re like the Cubs of the West.” Peralta said about leaving his team during this series. His teammates, when asked about Peralta’s departure, agreed that now would be fine – not much is going on. They even said that they looked at the next two games as more of a couple of practices than the conclusion of a series. It is preparation for real teams that are coming up in the schedule. When asked why he didn't attempt to get a hearing during the All Star Break, Peralta said he tried, but the courts were already jammed solid with other MLB players getting their felonies pleaded down to misdemeanors.

Jhonny Peralta said he can’t wait for the relief that he will soon feel when people start recognizing him for his efforts on the field and not for his stupid name. “I will be happy when it is all done and I can move on with my life.”